SHOULD THE PENSION LEVY BE CHANGED?

Currently this nation is in a period of deep depravation, mourning, a flux, if you like. We have no money. What we do have we’re afraid to spend. And, what we do spend we spend sparingly.

I am the accursed devil of the current political/social/financial situation. I am a civil servant!

I expect that that will draw extreme panic from any reader. I am after all a overpaid, leech on society. I’m sure that it is irrelevant to you, dear reader, that I earn no more than the average industrial wage, or that I already, despite popular opinion pay 5% of my wages towards my pension. This is to be now increased to 13.9%, therefore taking €75 per week extra from my wages. I don’t want your sympathy, nor am I stupid enough to expect it. I appreciate that we all have to make a contribution.

However, it should be a fair and equitable contribution. Civil servants have mortgages and bills too, they pay taxes too. Yes, we are fortunate enough to have guaranteed jobs (up to a point), and to have a pension. But, to pay for these we are, on average, paid less than m0st private employees.

So, no, we aren’t being unfair by looking for the levy to be changed. We aren’t the cause of the problems. The people who chased every available euro where they could get it are. You might be one of them, so you won’t get any sympathy either.